Megumi Tadokoro
Megumi Tadokoro (田所 恵 Tadokoro Megumi) is a 92nd Tōtsuki Generation student, a Polar Star Dormitory resident, and the main heroine in the series. Appearance Megumi has yellow eyes and long black-blueish hair with two braided pigtails. She also wears a flower hairpin on her left side of her hair. Personality Megumi is a clumsy and shy Tōhoku girl. Her main aspiration is to work and eventually run her mother's Ryōkan. Though Megumi is a capable chef, she does not fare well under pressure because she has stage fright. As a result she makes simple mistakes when she cooks causing many of her classmates to see her as a weak student. She is also a rather cautious student who chooses her words and actions carefully to avoid unwanted consequences. She shares a particularly strong bond with Sōma Yukihira who, from the first day they met, has been a tremendous help to her confidence and her initial success at Tōtsuki. She is also close with fellow Polar Star girls Yūki Yoshino and Ryōko Sakaki. After her Shokugeki, Megumi became more confident and her grades in her cooking classes began to improve. According to Gin Dōjima, Megumi's greatest gift is her warm hospitality as she cooks for the eater to make them feel good. Her kindness moved even the initially cold Kojirō Shinomiya into nostalgic childhood fueled tears. History Childhood Megumi grew up in a small port town in the Tōhoku region. In her childhood, Megumi idolized her mother and wished to become as skilled as her, often working in the kitchen with her. Her mother was the owner and head chef of the Shōkeien Ryokan. Unfortunately many of the staff grew old and were unable to prepare the inn's signature cutting hanging goosefish dish. To save the inn from falling apart, Megumi took it upon herself to learn the skill from the local fishermen. Though she had a bit of difficulty in the beginning, Megumi eventually learned the skill, allowing the inn to cook their signature dish. Her mother was impressed of skill at her age and recommended that she attend Tōtsuki Culinary Academy. Though Megumi wanted to stay and continue to help the inn, her mother persuaded her to go and improve her skills even further. As she prepared to depart from her hometown, Megumi is sent off from the train station by her mother, the ryokan staff, and the fishermen she worked with over the years. One of the people there gave Megumi an Omamori, a Japanese good luck charm, as a memento from her town. Megumi would later often hold this charm whenever she is stressed or needs an extra boost of confidence. With her family and friends' high expectations and support, Megumi bid farewell to them as she departed from her town to begin a new chapter of her life. Life in the Tōtsuki Culinary Academy However, her life in the Tōtsuki Culinary Academy did not start off as she had hoped. Megumi took 3 months to finally pass Fumio Daimidō's entrance exam into Polar Star Dormitory. Her actual school performance was even worse, as she constantly failed most of her cooking assignments as her stage fright greatly hindered her actual cooking skill. This eventually caused many of her lecturers and fellow classmates to label her a expendable failure and the class dunce. Though Megumi would often call her parents, she could not bring it upon herself to tell them of her failure. Whenever Ryōko Sakaki or Yūki Yoshino offered to practice cooking with her, she declined as she would often cry when she practiced. Somehow, Megumi had performed well enough to scrape into the high school level of Tōtsuki at the bottom of her class. However, the school board sent her a letter, warning her that her next unsatisfactory grade would result in her immediate expulsion. Plot Meeting Sōma Yukihira At the Spring Orientation Ceremony, Megumi was among the students there who witnessed Sōma Yukihira give his infamous entrance speech. Despite the hostile reception from her classmates as well as her own desire to avoid drawing attention to herself, during her very first lecture, she was partnered up with none other than Sōma. To make matters worse, the lecturer was Roland Chapelle, a stern professor known as "The Chef that Doesn't Smile" due to his strict grading standards. Though Sōma had no clue about the dish they were assigned to cook, the two cooperated an nearly completed the dish, but Megumi left the pot unattended, allowing two students to sabotage and harden their beef by adding salt. Though Megumi panicked, Sōma quickly came up with a solution and their dish was saved. Thanks to some honey, their beef was soft and tender despite the lengthy time required to soften the beef normally. Their Boeuf Bourguignon cased Chapelle to smile for the first time on record and earned them an "A", though Chapelle regretted not being able to give them a higher grade. Megumi thanked Sōma for saving their dish and accepted his offer to try his newest test dish. However, she would later regret this, causing severe trauma from trying his Grilled Squid Tentacles Dressed in Honey Polar Star's Newest Resident Returning to the dormitory, Megumi took time to take a bath to recover from the trauma from Sōma's test dish. Unfortunately, Sōma walked in on her naked as he prepared to take a bath himself. Later that night, Megumi came to Zenji Marui's room for Sōma's welcoming party. Megumi became depressed when she learned that Sōma had passed on his first try and even more when she learned that he had passed using only leftovers in the kitchen. Megumi had fun at Sōma's party but soon feel asleep in the room. While she slept, Sōma and Satoshi had a cooking duel and she awoke only to see Sōma shaking hands with Satoshi who was only wearing an apron. The next morning, Megumi and the other Polar Star residents were surprised to see that Sōma had been waiting for Satoshi to arrive into the dinning hall to challenge him for his 7th seat. However, Satoshi explained that his challenge was not feasable as per rules of issuing the school's cooking duels called Shokugeki. Though Sōma was disappointed that he couldn't challenge Satoshi just yet, Megumi told him that he was a little too reckless. Sōma's First Shokugeki Main Article: First Shokugeki Arc Shortly after Sōma's entry into Polar Star Dormitory, Megumi recommended that Sōma find a club to join. Sōma asked her to accompany him as he checked out the Don RS Club, which was in danger of being disbanded at the time because of Erina Nakiri's Kitchen Expansion project. As they heard of the club's plight from the club's president, Kanachi Konishi, one of Erina's enforcers, Ikumi Mito arrived with a team of contractors to begin the demolition of the clubroom. Sōma saw this event unfold and volunteered to take the Shokugeki in the name of the Don RS. As Sōma began to make donburi dishes for his Shokugeki, Megumi assisted him by researching Donburi books from the club's notebook library. Just as Sōma had exhausted all of his ideas and nearly all of his funds, Megumi gave him some encouragement to persevere. Sōma noticed that Megumi was holding a Steak Don book which allowed him to create a prototype of his dish for the Shokugeki. On the day of the Shokugeki, Megumi cheered Sōma on during the Shokugeki and he eventually emerged victorious. When Kanachi declared that Sōma would become the next president of the club, Megumi was left speechless when Sōma turned down his offer since he had only come to the club to develop a don dish. Tōtsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Main Article: Hellish Training Camp Arc A few days after Sōma's first Shokugeki, Megumi and the rest of the Polar Star residents worked in the dormitory garden. Megumi made lunch for them, Three Kinds of Onigiri. Her lunch was delicious and praised by the others, but Sōma asked why she could not cook a dish like this during class. Megumi revealed that she has stage fright, hindering her true skills. Soon after, Megumi and the rest of the Polar Star first years received news about their upcoming training camp, the Tōtsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp, a camp notorious for eliminating dozens of students by the end of the week. Distraught by this first obstacle, Megumi collapsed, but Sōma encouraged everyone to be in the group that passes the camp. A few weeks later, the entire 92nd Generation arrived at the Tōtsuki Villa where the camp was held. Inside of the reception hall, Megumi and stood by her fellow Polar Star friends as the camp officially started. As she stood in awe as the Tōtsuki Academy Alumni walked in, one of the Alumni, Donato Gotōda approached her and asked her if she would like the spend the night with him, until another Alumni, Hinako Inui, told him to let go of Megumi's hand. Hinako apologized to Megumi, but then gave Megumi some overly affectionate words as she stroked her face, leaving Megumi visibly stunned. Gin Dōjima, walked onto the stage and announced the rules of the camp and officially started the camp. The First Day Megumi arrived at her first task, run by Hinako, who announced that they would work with their partners from Chapelle's class. Happy that she was partnered with Sōma, Megumi ran over to Sōma just as a mysterious boy stomped on Sōma's foot, declaring that he would defeat Sōma. Hinako explained to her class that they had two hours to cook a dish that could satisfy her using only ingredients that could be found in the area around the kitchen and officially started the class. Megumi and Sōma left the kitchen to gather their ingredients and soon returned after catching some char. Back in the kitchen, the boy from earlier returned as well as he and his brother managed to secure an aigamo duck. Megumi watched as the brothers carefully prepare their dish. Megumi was amazed by their smooth movements during their cooking process, to which Sōma told her that the brothers have real kitchen experience. The boy introduced himself as Takumi Aldini and introduced his twin brother Isami Aldini. After the Aldini Twins' dish passed the assignment, Hinako added that the loser of their challenge would have to bow before the winner, but she also added that Megumi would be exempt. Sōma fired himself up and sent Megumi to gather various spices and garnishes after he came up with an idea. Megumi quickly gathered all of the ingredients Sōma asked for and returned to the kitchen where the two set out to work. In a matter of fifteen minutes, Megumi and Sōma made a Char Okakiage. Hinako was impressed by the difference of texture compared to all of the fish dishes she had been eating the entire time and passed Megumi and Sōma. After the assignment ended, Hinako tried to decide on a winner between the two dishes, but was unable to declare a clear winner, so the result was a draw. Megumi and the rest of the students who passed Hinako's assignment returned to the hotel. Back at the hotel, Megumi and the entire Polar Star gang, who had all passed their first day, were reunited. Thinking they had time to relax, Hitoshi Sekimori announced that they had one more task, cook 50 meals for the hotel guests in one hour. Megumi and the rest of the Polar Star residents completed their task and then gathered in Zenji's room afterward. Though most of them fell asleep almost immediately from exhaustion, Megumi was among the few who was still conscious. Megumi reflected on her day, saying that thanks to Sōma, as usual, she made it though. Sōma told her that it was thanks to her assistance that he passed and Ryōko told her to be confident. To make sure that she would make it to the end of the camp, Megumi promised to do her best on her own. Second Round and Yukihira-Shinomiya Shokugeki Feud Main Article: [[Yukihira-Tadokoro Vs. Shinomiya ''Shokugeki]]'' On the second day, Megumi's next assignment was with Kojirō Shinomiya, whose assignment was to cook a nine vegetable terrine. However the students were to cook alone, meaning that Sōma could not help her on this assignment. He also cryptically told them to consider everyone an enemy. With only three hours to complete the assignment, the students quickly rushed towards the ingredients laid out to gather what they needed. Though Megumi managed to gather mostly what she needed, when she went to gather the cauliflower needed, the remaining ones were badly oxidized. Worried that she would fail if she attempted to cook them in their current state, Megumi thought up a way to fix the problem and quickly cooked her assigned dish. When she presented the dish to Shinomiya, he immediately fired her for altering his recipe. Sōma did not agree with his reasoning, stating that she presented something well made under the conditions given to her but Shinomiya threatened to fire Sōma for any more insubordination. Unwilling to allow Sōma to drag himself down with her, Megumi, with tears in her eyes, told Sōma that she was okay with the verdict. However, Sōma walked towards Shinomiya and challenged him to a Shokugeki for the right to allow Megumi to stay. Though Shinomiya refused the challenge as per the rules to make one, Dōjima, who was nearby, overheard the challenge and declared that they would have an unofficial Shokugeki and forced Shinomiya to comply. Leaving his office, Megumi scolded Sōma for being reckless, but thanked him for standing up for her. After completing their afternoon assignment, Megumi and Sōma arrived at the Tōtsuki Villa Annex Kitchen where [[Yukihira-Tadokoro Vs. Shinomiya Shokugeki|their Shokugeki]] was to be held. Using the remaining vegetables from the day's assignments, Dōjima started the Shokugeki, however he also added that Megumi must lead between Sōma and her as the Shokugeki was to show Megumi's worth, not Sōma's. As the challenge began, the pressure became too great for Megumi and she began to tense up in fear. Sōma brought her hands together and clapped on them hard, breaking her out of her trembling. Instead of focusing on what Shinomiya was preparing, Megumi was encouraged by Sōma to make a dish that best suited her and showed the alumni her true skills. After choosing her dish, Megumi and Sōma set out to work. Though Megumi had difficulty in the beginning leading Sōma, he took the initiative to show her that he would be a good partner. Thanks to Sōma's incredible assistance throughout the cooking time, Megumi completed her dish. Shinomiya presented his dish first, which received universal praise from the judges. When Megumi's turn came up, she began to tense up again, but Sōma gave her a light push and she presented her dish. As she watched as the Alumni silently began to eat her dish, Megumi recalled her past failures throughout her time at Tōtsuki. As she waited nervously to hear their input on her dish, she smiled and cried tears of joy as the Alumni praised her Rainbow Terrine. After eating both dishes, the judges were given a coin to represent a vote. One by one, they placed their coin on the plate of the chef who they felt cooked the better dish. In a decisive and one-sided result, Megumi and Sōma lost the duel. Megumi cried as her dish could not change her verdict and also cost Sōma his future at Tōtsuki. However Dōjima unexpectedly placed a coin in her dish and then forced Shinomiya to eat her dish as he gave him a coin. As he ate her dish, Megumi's hospitality in her dish softened his heart, causing him to drop his coin into her plate. Finally Hinako placed one last vote into Megumi's dish, rendering the duel a tie. In the aftermath, Shinomiya recognized her efforts and allowed her to stay in the camp. Dōjima added a few last words, encouraging Megumi to continue to use her hospitality as her greatest asset. Megumi cried tears, happy to know that her future would continue at Tōtsuki. After collecting herself, Megumi and Sōma departed from the kitchen as she noticed a massive amount of calls and messaging from the other Polar Star members. Megumi thanked Sōma for believing in her when she did not believe in herself before Sōma told her to head back without him. Meeting in Zenji's room once more, Megumi told them about her duel. As Sōma returned, Yūki slapped him for being reckless, but Megumi reminded her that Sōma is the reason why she's still with them. With the Polar Star 92nd generation still in tact, they prepared for the next half of the camp. Third Round and the Breakfast Buffet Struggle On the third day, Megumi's cooking quality began to improve greatly, easily completing the new 80 dinner meal challenge. Still, the ordeal left her exhausted as she regrouped with the rest of the Polar Star. Suddenly, an announcement was made over the hotel intercom, summoning the students to the main hall. Dōjima announced that the students will be responsible to serve a breakfast dish for the hotel guests at 6 AM the following morning, meaning that they did not have any time to sleep. Megumi and the rest of the class franticly dashed towards to kitchen to decide on a dish for the task. Megumi, recalling Sōma and Dōjima's words, decided that her dish should suit people who do not want to eat much in the morning and settled on her dish. On the morning of the fourth day, Megumi was assigned to Hall "A" along with Sōma, Takumi, and Erina Nakiri. As the task started, Megumi put out her dish, a Breakfast Oden. The dish's colorful arrangement and bite size portions were well received by the guest. Instead of using conventional chicken eggs, Megumi chose squall eggs due to their smaller size that perfectly complemented her dish. One of the big name ingredient suppliers, Kyūsaku, was so impressed by her dish he asked her to marry his grandson. Megumi managed to serve the required 200 dish quota well before time expired. With her task complete, Megumi looked at Sōma's station to see how he was faring. To her surprise, Sōma had not served more than ten dishes at the time. Much to her relief, Sōma overcame his unfortunate handicap and completed the challenge with only seconds to spare. Despite her relief, the camp was not over yet, and so she departed the banquet hall to proceed to her next assignment. The Final Day On the fifth day, Megumi and the rest of her class was on the end of their second wind. Pushed beyond the point of exhaustion, Megumi and the rest of her class gathered in the main hall once more for one last surprise announcement. Dōjima announced that from the original 980 students who entered the camp, only 628 remained. He gave the students some advice and praise from making it thus far and announced the final event of the camp. Suddenly the doors leading to the banquet hall opened up as the Tōtsuki Resort staff welcomed the remaining students to enjoy a lavish feast prepared by the Resort Staff and the Tōtsuki Alumni. Happy that all of the Polar Star Dorm members made it through the camp, they all sat at the same table and enjoyed the lavish meal prepared for them. The next day, Megumi packed up her things to return to Tōtsuki. As she entered the lobby with Sōma, they had managed to see Shinomiya who was preparing to return to France with the new ambition to earn a 3-Star Michelin rating for his restaurant. Just as he was about to depart, the other Alumni caught up to him. Hinako, Donato, and Hitoshi, after seeing off Shinomiya, approached Megumi, offering her a job in their restaurants. Hiromi Sena explained that the camp benefited the Alumni who would volunteer in order to look for potential recruits for their restaurants once they graduate. Megumi was unable to comprehend that she was being scouted by legendary the Tōtsuki Alumni. Recovering from the shock, Megumi boarded a bus and returned to Tōtsuki. Summer Break As the month of June arrived, the students were given a string of holidays and teacher business days, creating a short summer break. With the time given, Megumi accompanied her Local Cuisine RS on a trip around the region. Chosen for the Tōtsuki Autumn Election Main Article: Tōtsuki Autumn Election Arc Returning from their break, Megumi was happy to show Sōma that she had earned her very first "A" on an assignment all on her own. To celebrate her success, Satoshi invited Megumi to a ping pong match. Much to Sōma's surprise, Megumi was a very talented ping pong player and displayed an uncharacteristic seriousness during the match. Yūki and Ryōko revealed that her skills would have easily allowed her to become a pro. Looking for an underhanded way to win against Megumi, Satoshi revealed that Megumi, along with Sōma, Shun, and Zenji, had been selected as participants for the 43rd Annual Tōtsuki Autumn Election. Megumi's previous happiness immediately shifted to worry and panic. A few days after, Megumi joined the rest of the 92nd Generation for the official announcement of the Preliminary Participants. Immediately most students saw Megumi's name on there and expressed anger that the committee chose her and not them. However, a mysterious girl literally stepped in and defended Megumi. The girl, Miyoko Hōjō, then approached Megumi, displaying an interest in her after hearing rumors of her Shokugeki. However when Megumi revealed that she lost the duel and only survived thanks to Sōma, Miyoko departed, disappointed after hearing the truth. The Asura of Cooking Returning to Polar Star after the announcement, Satoshi informed them that Fumio was preparing a celebration for them. As they walked into the kitchen, a mysterious man was busy cooking. Fumio introduced him as a Golden Era member and former second seat of the Elite Ten Council, Jōichirō Saiba. However, much to everyone's surprise, Sōma revealed that Jōichirō was his father. At the party, Megumi was introduced to Jōichirō's amazing dishes which were unlike anything she had ever eaten. Megumi and the rest of the girls, enthralled by his handsome appearance and masculine demeanor, wondered if Sōma would turn out like him when he got older. The next morning Megumi, stressed from the announcement, had stayed up all night and had stumbled into the kitchen as Sōma and Jōichirō were about to start a cooking duel. To help Megumi wake up, Fumiō tasked Sōma and Jōichirō with creating a dish that would invigorate the judges. As the duel commenced, Megumi, Fumio, and Satoshi patiently waited as the two cooked. Sōma finished his dish first, an Apple Risotto. The dish perfectly energized Megumi and the judges and it almost seemed as if Sōma's dish was unbeatable. However, Jōichirō presented his Jōichirō Special Rich Ramen. Shocked by the dish choice, to the judges and her surprise, the dish was light and eatable for a morning meal, despite the fact that Ramen is a very usually heavy meal. With his meatless, hearty, and energizing dish, Megumi and the other Judges declared that Jōichirō's dish was decisively superior. Seeing the source of Sōma's determination from the rivalry between him and father, Megumi fired herself up for the preliminaries. Researching Curry With the conclusion of the duel, Yūki burst into the kitchen with the news for the Autumn Election Preliminaries. The theme for the Preliminaries was curry dishes. Jōichirō recalled a former Polar Star Golden Era member, Jun Shiomi, who specialized in spices. Fumio informed Megumi and Sōma that she is currently a second year lecturer and she encouraged them to go seek her help. After preparing to leave, Jōichirō had suddenly left without noticed, but Fumio gave them a map Shiomi's lecture room. Arriving at the lecture room, when they entered, they found a young girl making spice mixtures on the floor. As she frantically apologized for the current state of the room, Megumi got into a continuous apology loop with the girl. Seeing as Shiomi was nowhere in sight, Sōma asked her to tell Shiomi that Jōichirō Saiba's son had stopped by. Just as Sōma finished his sentence, the girl swiftly punched Sōma in the face. The girl was none other than Shiomi herself, who did not want to remember her former senior. As Sōma laid sprawled on the ground, a student walked into the room. As Sōma recovered from the punch, Shiomi told them about her relationship with Jōichirō, who had used her as a guinea pig for many of his failed dishes. Shiomi was at least willing to help Megumi, but she refused to help Sōma because he was Jōichirō's son. Thankfully, Akira Hayama, her assistant, persuaded Shiomi to help him out as well. Unfortunately, Shiomi started to give a lecture rather than just giving them direct info. Akira brought Megumi and Sōma into the kitchen to personally try some dishes. Akira first gave a Kozhi Varutha Curry, followed by a Goan Fish Curry. Though the Goan Fish Curry was better than the Kozhi Varutha Curry, Akira informed them that he roasted the spices rather than cook them normally, resulting in a stronger flavor. He presented another Kozhi Varutha Curry, but the flavor was stronger than the first simply because he boiled water instead of using soup stock. After enjoying the meal, Megumi noticed that Sōma looked troubled. He told her that Akira never once looked in his pot as he cooked. Megumi watched as Akira declared that he will stand on top of Tōtsuki because of his mastery of spices and Sōma promising to give him a superior curry at the preliminaries. Returning to Polar Star, Megumi and Sōma began to research spices on their own. Much to her disbelief, there was too much information for her to memorize in just a month. Though she worried that they would be at a disadvantage, Sōma told her that instead of worrying about what they lacked, they should make it up by pushing forward. Megumi spent several days with Sōma, researching and experimenting with various spice mixes. After a week, Megumi decided to head back to her Tōhoku hometown to test her spice mixes with some ingredients from her hometown. The Polar Star Girls Holiday Main Article: Natsuyasumi no Erina Sometime prior to leaving to Tōhoku, Megumi practiced in the Polar Star Kitchen with Ryōko and Yūki. The heat began to get the best of them with Megumi even hallucinating, thinking that there was a pot in front of her even when they were outside. They decided to cool down using a hose and a small inflatable, but all of their attempts to cool themselves were fruitless. Despite not being able to properly cool down, Megumi thanked Yūki and Ryōko for the short break and the three resolved themselves to do their best in the preliminaries. Tōtsuki Autumn Election: Preliminary Round After a month of research and preparation, Megumi returned to Tōtsuki in time for the Election. The Polar Star Dorm reunited with each other and Megumi met up with Ikumi and the Aldini twins as well in the lobby of the Shokugeki Arena as Senzaemon gave an inspiring speech about the very hall they were standing in. After informing them that they are in the hall which many former Elite 10 Council members once stood, the Preliminaries officially started. Megumi bid farewell to Sōma, Ryōko, Zenji, Shun, and Ikumi as she, Yūki, and the Aldini twins headed to the "B" Block. As the preliminaries began, Megumi began to cook but made a minor slip up, spilling her spice bowl. This did not go unnoticed by the audience and the head judge of the "B" block, Orie Sendawara, who deemed her unworthy of her attention. Many of the audience looked at her with spite, questioning her participation in the Preliminaries. As Megumi headed to the ingredient tables, she bumped into Miyoko, who scolded her for not paying attention. Returning to her station, Megumi brought out her secret weapon, a giant hanging goosefish. Many of the people in the audience thought that she was being overambitious. Megumi brought her hands together and envisioned Sōma's hand trick. Finding confidence from the trick, Megumi proceeded to flawlessly cut the goosefish, much to the shock of the audience and, more importantly, Orie who personally left her seat to get a closer look. Up in the stands, Satoshi and Fumio smiled at Megumi, proud of her accomplishment thus far. In the remaining time, Megumi finished her dish and gathered with the rest of the "B" block participants as the judging began. For much of the initial dishes, they were met with incredibly low scores less than 40 points. The low scores continued until Nao Sadatsuka presented her dish, a Jet Black Curry Laksa, earning an 84 despite the putrid smell. Following Sadatsuka, many of the more notable participants in the "B" block presented, earning scores over 80 points. After Alice Nakiri presented her dish, the judges and even the emcee, Urara Kawashima, seemed to ignore Megumi's turn until she informed them. Megumi presented her dish, a Goosefish Dobu-Jiru Curry. Megumi heard loud cheering from the audience as she saw that the Tōhoku fishermen, who helped her learn to cut a hanging goosefish, had come to the preliminaries to cheer for Megumi. Though the judges were a bit skeptical about her dish choice, the dish's flavor immediately soothed the judge's minds, reminding them of a home meal under a kotatsu. She told the judges that her dish is meant to show the feelings of her hometown. As she closed her eyes, awaiting her score to be revealed, she recalled all the support she had received from everyone in Tōhoku. Defying everyone's expectations, Megumi earned a score of 88, qualifying her for the main tournament. After the preliminaries concluded, Megumi reunited with the fishermen who congratulated her. Miyoko came over and apologized for judging her too soon and gave her her fondest regards, promising to cheer her on in the Main Tournament. Road to the Main Tournament With the conclusion of the Preliminary Round, a party was held at Polar Star for Sōma and Megumi for qualifying for the Main Tournament. During the party, Megumi saw Sōma outside the balcony. The two talked for a while, with Megumi consoling Sōma for losing to Akira. Sōma congratulated her on qualifying for the main tournament, but she thanked Sōma for giving her the confidence to even make it into the preliminaries. Back at the party, Satoshi asked if Megumi and Sōma could help him with a business consultation for the Polar Star Dormitory Vegetables. The next morning, Megumi and Sōma awoke to find Satoshi oddly in a full business suit. They arrived at a local kitchen where Satoshi helped to teach a cooking class for young housewives and children. Megumi and Sōma taught the children how to cook gyoza. Despite some difficulty catching their attention, their skills amazed the students and sure enough, the children made their own gyoza. When one child in particular was worried that everyone would laugh at her when she failed, Megumi told her to think of someone she held dear to make the food taste better. Afterwards, Sōma asked Megumi about what she said to the girl, to which Megumi told him that her mother had taught her that. As Megumi thought about who was dear to her, she imagined Sōma. Tōtsuki Autumn Election: Main Tournament The day before the first round of the Main Tournament, Megumi was summoned to Tōtsuki HQ to find out who her first opponent was. However, Megumi began to pack all her cooking utensils until Yūki reminded her that she was only going there for a formal meeting. At the HQ, Megumi found out the theme of the match was a ramen dish and that her first opponent was Ryō Kurokiba. Satoshi informed them that they will prepare the noodles for their ramen for them and they would only have to choose the style they wanted the noodles to be. Returning to Polar Star, Megumi began to figure out Ryō's dish choice based on the noodle type he chose. She figured that the wide noodles he chose are used for rich ramen with strong body and flavor. Megumi initially thought to battle his intended ramen with an stronger flavor, but her attempts at creating one failed to come through. Fumio entered the kitchen and handed her a package from her mother, who congratulated her on passing the preliminaries and had sent a few ingredients from home. Looking over the ingredients she received, Megumi finally had a solid idea and she finalized her dish choice. The next day, Megumi arrived at the venue for the Main Tournament and was immediately put into a waiting room as the first match between Sōma and Alice Nakiri commenced. After Sōma had won his match and headed to the waiting area, Megumi congratulated Sōma on his win. Sōma told her that she seemed more relaxed compared to their first class together. Megumi told Sōma that she felt that she could have fun cooking for the first time. Sōma wished her well as she entered the arena. As her match began, Megumi immediately began to make her broth using the ingredients her mother had sent her. She made a dashi using scallop adductor muscles and added paitan soup. The crowed noted that Megumi and Ryō were both making seafood ramen, however while Ryō's was going for a rich soup, Megumi was going for a "transparent, graceful" soup. Up in the stands, Yūki and the other Polar Star members were cheering loudly for her. This caused Ryō to snap, calling the display "disgusting". As Megumi defended her friends, she returned to her kitchen area to finish her dashi. Later, she told Ryō not to speak badly of them, but he merely glared back at her, causing her to flinch. Suddenly, the judges left their tables to visit Megumi and Ryō's kitchen area to enhance their ramen experience. As Ryō presented his dish first, the audience was immediately drawn to his dish. Though Megumi was under tremendous pressure from both the audience and the judges, she continued to finish her dish unfazed. After Ryō's judging finished, Megumi calmly walked to the judges and meekly presented it to them. Though the judges were reeling from Ryō's Soup De Poisson Ramen, Megumi's Kozuyu Chicken Soy Sauce Ramen was well received by the judges who pre-judged her dish for it's elegant appearance and Megumi's own physical meekness. Nevertheless after showcasing the full prowess of her dish, Ryō was interested by her dish and asked for a sample as he gave her a sample of his ramen. Ryō was impressed by her ramen's strong taste and her own strong resolve. As she tasted his ramen, she felt his ramen's strong impact but felt that she would not lose. As the judges finished her dish, Senzaemon took out his brush and, much to her greater shock, declared Ryō as the winner. Even in her defeat, the audience give Megumi a loudest applause of praise about her performance, prompted her blushed red. After the match, Megumi congratulated by Sōma about her astonishing performance while further implied that, for the first time in her life, she cooked to win the match. In the same time, she also highly anticipate to perform more to earn the victory once again. Clubs *Local Cuisine RS Cooking Style *'Hospitality' - Megumi's has no particular style of cooking, but according to Dōjima, her cooking is founded in hospitality, which may originate from her background helping in her mother's Ryōkan. Megumi always cooks thinking of the eater in mind, looking for ways to make them feel better or to ease their stress. While most of her classmates rely on powerful impressions that overwhelm the eater's senses, Megumi's dishes give a soothing effect, calming and easing the eater's mind. She shows an affinity for vegetables in her cooking mostly due to the notoriety of her Tōhoku hometown's vegetables from all year round mainly to show others the beauty of her hometown. Megumi also believes that if you cook with someone in mind, the end product will be more delicious. Culinary Skills *'Hanging Goosefish Preparation' - Cutting a preparing a hanging goosefish requires great skill and precision. Any slight mistake will ruin the fish as a whole, wasting the fish in the process. Megumi learned the skill at a young age and mastered the skill while she was still in primary school. Megumi used this ability in the Preliminaries which even the most skeptic of her classmates found impressive *'Vegetable Carving' - Vegetable carving is an artistic skill of carving vegetables into artistic shapes such as flowers and animals. Megumi used this skill to make numerous different types of vegetables resemble animals. Miscellaneous Skills *'Professional-Level Ping-Pong' - Megumi is an extremely talented ping-pong player. During her primary school years, Megumi became the best ping-pong player of her age in Tōhoku and was once herald as the "Tōhoku Bunny Hopping Hare" due to her frontal assault play style. According to Ryōko, if Megumi was not in Tōtsuki, she could have easily became a professional ping-pong player. She displays an unusual serious demeanor whenever she plays. Dish Original Dishes *'Three Kinds of Onigiri' - Megumi's first known dish made during the story. By making three different Onigiri fillings, Megumi created a refreshing and hearty meal to satisfy the Polar Star residents who were working in the fields that morning. *'Breakfast Oden' - Megumi's dish during the Breakfast Buffet Struggle on Day 4 of the Tōtsuki Friendship and Rapport Training. Rather than using chicken eggs, Megumi opted with squall eggs for their smaller size to perfectly complement the arrangement of her dish. The dish as a whole is colorful, fun, and begs one to take a bite! *'Goosefish Dobu-Jiru Curry' - Megumi's curry dish selection for the 43rd Annual Tōtsuki Autumn Election preliminary round. This dish showcases Megumi's knife handling skill as well as her hanging goosefish preparation skill. Arranged in a revised version of the traditional Dobu-Jiru dish, this meal gives the feeling of a family home meal anywhere! *'Kozuyu Chicken Soy Sauce Ramen' - Megumi's dish for her Autumn Election Main Tournament first round. Megumi created this dish in order to fight toe-to-toe with Ryō Kurokiba's strong dishes. This dish showed the judges that despite her slender figure, she has a fighting spirit that is willing to take on any challenger who comes her way! Collaborated Dish *Boeuf Bourguignon - A classroom dish assigned in Roland Chapelle's lecture. This is Megumi's first collaborated dish with Sōma. Though they were initially sabotaged by some salt planted by some other students, Sōma saved the dish by adding honey to quickly soften the meat. The dish caused the unsmiling Chapelle to smile for the first time on record. *Rainbow Terrine - Megumi's first Shokugeki dish. Using various vegetables, Megumi created a terrine by arranging seven different vegetables into seven different layers to create an image of a rainbow. Thanks to a secret spice added, allspice, the dish gives a digestive effect to ease anyone who eats it. It gives the feeling of walking with one's mother under a rainbow in a sunny sky. Cooking Duel Records Unofficial Shokugeki Record (*)Megumi and Sōma originally lost this Shokugeki. However, Dōjima placed a coin in their plate out of recognition. Shinomiya was given a coin and he dropped it into Megumi's plate after eating her dish. Hinako finally added one last vote, rendering the duel a tie. Cooking Duels Trivia *Megumi ranked 3rd in the first popularity poll with 753 votes. *Megumi literally means graceful or kindness, reflecting her personality. Tadokoro, literally means farmland, a reference to the Tōhoku region's notoriety as granary of Japan. *Megumi received a few nicknames from the Tōtsuki Academy Alumni during her unofficial Shokugeki with Kojirō Shinomiya. All three are based around Japanese yokai: **Légumes Koro-pok-guru by Donato Gotōda **Légumes Zashiki-warashi by Hinako Inui **Légumes Yuki-ko by Hitoshi Sekimori *Megumi has a running gag with many adults becoming enthralled with Megumi based solely on her cute appearance or her hospitality in her cooking. One individual, Kyūsaku, personally asked her to marry his grandson after eating her Breakfast Oden. Navigation Category:Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Tōtsuki Culinary Academy Students Category:Polar Star Dormitory Students Category:92nd Generation Students Category:Students Category:Tōtsuki Autumn Election Participant